Out of the total cost of various ecosystem services, which of the following services accounts for about 50%?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Soil formation
In the estimate of the value of nature’s services, soil formation accounts for about 50 per cent; recreation, nutrient cycling and the rest account for much less.
Option (3) Soil formation — Correct. Robert Constanza and his colleagues priced nature’s life-support services at about US $33 trillion a year. Of this, soil formation accounts for about 50 per cent; recreation and nutrient cycling each come below 10 per cent.
Note: This question is from the topic “Ecosystem Services” in Chapter 14, Ecosystem, of the pre-rationalised NCERT book. This portion is not in the present NCERT book, where the chapter is now Chapter 12, Ecosystem. The extract below is from the pre-rationalised edition.
NCERT Extract (Pre-rationalised edition, Chapter 14, Ecosystem):
Ecosystem Services – “… Robert Constanza and his colleagues have very recently tried to put price tags on nature’s life-support services. Researchers have put an average price tag of US $ 33 trillion a year on these fundamental ecosystems services, which are largely taken for granted because they are free.”
Ecosystem Services – “Out of the total cost of various ecosystem services, the soil formation accounts for about 50 per cent, and contributions of other services like recreation and nutrient cycling, are less than 10 per cent each. The cost of climate regulation and habitat for wildlife are about 6 per cent each.”